Joadja Town

Departing our chosen pickup point today, we journey to the Southern Highlands for a visit to Joadja, stopping for morning tea along the way in Mittagong.

Joadja valley and town is a region of significant cultural heritage. The shale seam that was discovered there has been credited to a man called Edward Carter around 1850, although even this integral detail has been disputed.

The Australian Kerosene Oil and Mineral Company was formed in 1878 to mine the shale and refine it into its different by-products. These products included paraffin wax (for candles), kerosene, lubricating oils and greases and even ingredients for soap.

The community at its peak was home to more than 1200 people, mostly Scottish immigrants who lived in tough conditions in an isolated valley.

The mine closed and the people that lived here moved away to start somewhere new. The town, the mine and its equipment were left behind, and now stand as a testament to what took place here all that time ago. Nature is slowly but surely taking Joadja back, climbing over the buildings and working its way into the foundations.

Come and enjoy the beauty of this stunning valley, hear the stories and feel the history behind it all!